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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455797">The Kyoto Connection</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaeilgeRua/pseuds/GaeilgeRua'>GaeilgeRua</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Japan, M/M, Multi, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame, Slash, Threesome, Threesome - F/M/M, Travel, men kissing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:27:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,212</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455797</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaeilgeRua/pseuds/GaeilgeRua</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of the Avengers’ destruction of Thanos, the lost piece of Bucky and Clint’s hearts reappears.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Marvel Reverse Big Bang 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Return</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassandrasfisher/gifts">cassandrasfisher</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by art created by the lovely Cass, which can be found <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28213671">here</a>. Written for Marvel Reverse Big Bang 2020 from cassandrafisher's aesthetic prompt. The additional prompts she included were any pairing along with these word prompts: eating sushi, Japan, massages, archery, and watching the sunset. After several discussions with her, I settled on Bucky/Clint/Natasha or as she is called in this story, Natalia, which is her first name. Cass, thank you so much for these fantastic prompts and for giving me additional ideas to work with.</p><p>One thing you will all notice is the absence of Laura and her children with Clint, this was a decision made after my conversations with Cass. You have been warned now, so please no flames.</p><p>This was Alpha and beta'd by a small team of helpers (articcat621, thescarletphoenixx, and xxDustNight88). The three of them are phenomenal and I can not thank them enough for their help. If there are any errors after they read it over, they are my own.</p><p>I also want to thank the mods for not only running this event but for giving me extra time on this when I really needed it. I started and scrapped this story more times than I can remember and struggled with figuring out what direction I actually wanted to take it. I am very happy with how this version turned out and I hope you all enjoy it. There are two more chapters and will both be posted tonight.</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone recognizable from the MCU. The MCU characters belong to Disney and anyone else that may own any part of it. I am not making any money off of this.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the blink of an eye, Steve disappeared, along with Mjölnir and the case of Infinity Stones.</p><p>Bucky and Sam shared a look before they turned to Doctor Banner.</p><p>“How long do you think it will take before we know if Steve was successful?”</p><p>Bruce looked at Bucky. “Not long.”</p><p>The sound of something colliding with the ground drew the men’s attention. They turned to see someone lying in a heap in the grass.</p><p>Bucky and Sam slowly made their way over to where the person landed. Their back was to them, but they could tell that whoever it was was a woman and she was dressed in all black.</p><p>“Is that who I think it is?” Sam asked.</p><p>“It can’t be,” Bucky replied. “Clint watched her die.”</p><p>A moan of pain could be heard as the figure rolled onto their back.</p><p>Bucky and Sam could now make out the distinctive red hair.</p><p>“Natalia,” Bucky whispered as he hurried over to her. He dropped to his knees next to her to see that it was indeed her.</p><p>“How is she alive?” Sam asked as he stood next to Bucky.</p><p>“I have no idea, but we should probably get her to a doctor,” Bucky replied. He scooped her into his arms, and as he stood up, he turned. He stopped short at the sight of another newcomer.</p><p>Sam looked over his shoulder to see an old man sitting on the bench. He looked at Bucky. “Steve must have been successful.”</p><p>“He must have.”</p><p>The old man nodded at Bucky before he called Sam over.</p><p>Bucky smiled as he noticed the circular object sitting next to Steve, and returned the gesture. “Good luck, and I’ll see you later.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Sam replied as he made his way over to the old man.</p><p>Still carrying Natalia, Bucky left the two men to their conversation and walked away. He was happy for Sam as he knew he would make a much better Captain America than he would. He had too many demons he was still battling.</p>
<hr/><p>“What do you mean she just appeared out of thin air?” Confusion laced his voice and Bucky could hear just a hint of hope in there too. That hope was visible in his eyes.“I watched…” He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.</p><p>Bucky gave the other man a few moments before replying as he knew how devastated he had been when Natalia sacrificed herself so they could obtain the Soul Stone. When he had learned of what she had done, Bucky nearly lost himself to his grief, but Clint had been there for him even though Bucky hadn’t been there for Clint when it first happened.</p><p>Since Bucky’s return, the two men had discussed what had occurred prior to his return. They also agreed to take some time for themselves together, once the world had been set to rights. That all changed with Natalia’s reappearance less than an hour ago, and they both knew it.</p><p>Clint took a deep breath and looked at Bucky again.</p><p>“I know you did,” Bucky replied, “but Bruce and Sam were both there with me and saw her too.”</p><p>“Where is she?”</p><p>“In with doctors right now,” Bucky replied. He looked back down to his left where she was behind closed doors before adding with a roll of his eyes, “they kicked me out a little while ago. It’s why I reached out to you.”</p><p>“Well, Wanda and I are almost done here, and then we’ll head back to you all,” Clint said.</p><p>Bucky nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll keep you updated, but we’ll see you both soon.”</p><p>The screen went blank, and Bucky switched off his communicator. Leaning his head back against the wall behind him, he sighed and slipped the piece of technology into his pocket.</p><p>“How is she?”</p><p>Turning his head to the right, Bucky saw Sam walking towards him; Steve’s old shield on his arm.</p><p>“The doctors haven’t told me anything,” Bucky huffed. “Not for lack of trying, I assure you. But she’s alive.”</p><p>“That’s all that matters,” Sam replied.</p><p>Bucky nodded. “It is.” He gestured to the shield. “How’s it feel?”</p><p>Sam looked down. “Different. Heavy but not. It’s going to take some getting used to.” He looked back up at Bucky. “You’re not mad that Steve gave it to me, are you?”</p><p>“Not at all,” Bucky replied. “You’re much more deserving of it than I am.”</p><p>“I don’t feel it,” Sam said, shaking his head.</p><p>The sound of a door opening had Bucky moving away from the wall. He placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You will, I know it.”</p><p>“Sergeant Barnes,” the doctor who had kicked him out earlier said once he was close enough to the two men. Bucky recognized the man as someone who had worked on him before he ended up in Wakanda, but he had no idea who he was beyond that. “Agent Wilson.”</p><p>Bucky couldn’t stand the wait any longer. “How is she?”</p><p>The man gave him a tired smile. “She’ll be fine. We have her in a medically induced coma while her body heals, but it’s just a precaution.”</p><p>A breath he didn’t realize he had been holding whooshed out of Bucky.</p>
<hr/><p>“What’s going on?” Clint looked up to see Wanda only a few steps away. “All I heard was the end of your conversation.”</p><p>Slipping his communicator into his pocket, Clint sighed. “It’s Nat. She’s returned.”</p><p>Wanda’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? I thought she?”</p><p>“She did,” Clint replied as he walked over to her. “Bucky said Steve returned the Stones and she reappeared a few moments later.”</p><p>“That’s incredible,” Wanda breathed. She smiled at her friend. “I bet you’re glad to have her back.”</p><p>“I am, I just hope she’s okay. Bucky said she was with the doctors, but that they had kicked him out, so I don’t have any more information beyond that.” He nodded in the direction she had come from. “Everything good?”</p><p>Wanda nodded. “Yes, I finished up, so we can head back.”</p><p>“Good. Let’s go.”</p><p>They made their way back to the Quinjet, and as Clint opened it so they could get in, Wanda asked, “Are you good to fly?”</p><p>Clint looked at her. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”</p><p>She shrugged. “Well, you just found out that the woman you’ve been in a long-term relationship with has suddenly reappeared after sacrificing herself to help us win the war against Thanos. I’d be an absolute mess right now.”</p><p>“I’ll be fine,” Clint muttered with a huff. “It’s not like she’s the first person I’ve lost in my life.”</p><p>“I know,” Wanda whispered as she placed a hand on his shoulder. And she did know, over the years and before she disappeared with Bucky, she and Clint had grown close. Wanda thought of him as another brother, especially after the loss of Pietro, and he saw her as the younger sister he never had. Because of the connection, she learned a lot about the older Avenger, including the loss of his fiancée, Laura, who died in a car accident long before he was recruited by Agent Fury.</p><p>“Plus, I had Bucky back,” Clint added, pulling Wanda from her thoughts.</p><p>“Well, now you have them both back,” Wanda said. She removed her hand from his shoulder and moved to sit in her seat for the flight. “If you say you’re good to fly, then let’s go, Old Man.”</p><p>“Watch it, Little Witch,” he growled, but the laugh in his voice softened his words. “You’re lucky I like you.”</p><p>Clint closed the door and took up his own seat as they prepared to take off.</p><p>Wanda looked at him. “Hey, Clint.” When he looked over his shoulder, she added, “I am lucky. Now, let’s get back to everyone so you can see her again.”</p><p>“That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a long time.”</p><p>He powered up the Quinjet, and the two were off.</p>
<hr/><p>Natalia frowned. She had been awake from her coma for a couple of days, and the doctors were finally releasing her, but she had to rest.</p><p>“Did they say you could fly?”</p><p>She looked at Clint with a slight tilt of her head. “They never said I couldn’t, just that I needed to continue to rest. It’s not like I’ve been doing that for the past six months.”</p><p>Clint nodded. “Good.” He stood up and kissed Natalia’s cheek. “I’ll be back in a little while.”</p><p>After Clint left her room, Natalia turned to the other man left behind. “What is he up to?”</p><p>Bucky shrugged. “If he’s like me, he’s ready to get out of this place and reconnect. Just the three of us.”</p><p>A soft smile graced her tired features. She had missed not having both of her men in her life at the same time for so long as it was just her and Clint after Bucky disappeared on the fields of Wakanda. That had been nearly six years ago. In the last couple of days, Natalia had learned that she had spent the previous six months in a medically induced coma after her sudden reappearance from Vormir.</p><p>“That sounds like a wonder...ful... idea.” The last two words were broken up by a deep yawn.</p><p>“Sleep,” Bucky said. “I’ll wake you when Clint returns.</p><p>Natalia nodded and settled back into the pillows and bed below her.</p><p>The next time she woke, it was as the door to her room opened, and Clint entered.</p><p>“Ready to go? I’ve got approval from the doctor for you to travel as long as we take it easy.” Clint grinned. “I know the perfect place.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Nexus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I want to thank articcat621 and thescarletphoenixx for helping me with the beginning scene of this chapter. Unfortunately, I am allergic to anything from under the water, so I knew nothing about sushi or even than there were different kinds. I did use <a href="https://delishably.com/meat-dishes/The-Different-Kinds-of-Sushi">this site</a> for additional research about the different kinds of sushi.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Natalia moaned as the flavors burst across her tongue. It had been so long since she’d had food this good, and that it was as fresh as it was made it taste even better. She swallowed. “Oh my god. This is so good.”</p><p>Clint laughed. “Only the best for you.” He glanced at Bucky and smiled at the other man. “Both of you.”</p><p>Bucky returned his smile briefly before his attention returned to the center of their table, and he eyed the plates of food there. He had enjoyed the soup and even the fried vegetables they had already eaten, but he wasn’t sure about all the raw fish before him now. Glancing over at Clint, he watched as the other man used his chopsticks to pick up what he and Natalia called a roll.</p><p>“What’s in that one?” Bucky asked curiously.</p><p>“Oh, lots of tasty stuff. There’s some shrimp and yellowtail, along with different vegetables and some chili and spicy mayo,” Clint replied. He tilted his head back and dropped the small roll into his mouth.</p><p>Bucky shook his head. “What is it with you and your spicy foods?”</p><p>Natalia chuckled. “Clint does love his spicy foods. I personally think he’s crazy.” She winked at Bucky.</p><p>“Personally, I think you’re both crazy for liking raw fish,” Bucky replied.</p><p>“It’s not all raw,” Natalia said. She gestured to pieces of tiger shrimp. “The ebi there is cooked, so make sure to try that. Plus, have you ever had raw fish before?”</p><p>At Bucky’s silence and sheepish look, she had her answer.</p><p>“Give it a try, I would suggest starting with either the salmon or tuna sashimi and then going from there as I think you’ll prefer sashimi over the rolls,” Natalia explained. “Although, I can see you enjoying the nigiri too.”</p><p>Bucky looked at her curiously. “Why’s that?”</p><p>“Because you are… you’re not a fan of—”</p><p>“You’re a man of simple tastes,” Clint blurted out.</p><p>Natalia rolled her eyes. “I was trying to be nicer about it, Clint, and say that you’re not a fan of all of the extra frills and that you’re a man that knows what he likes, but I was so rudely interrupted.” She raised an eyebrow at Clint.</p><p>He grinned unrepentantly in return.</p><p>Bucky looked at Natalia salaciously. “I do know what I like,” he slid his blue eyes across the table to where Clint sat, “even if one of you loves to be an ass.”</p><p>“What can I say? It’s part of my charm,” Clint said. “But remember, I’m the one that got approval for Nat to leave.”</p><p>“That’s beside the point,” Bucky snickered.</p><p>“Thank you for that, Clint,” Natalia added, “but it’s time for delicious food. Here, I’ll try some ebi with you.”</p><p>She picked up a piece of the cooked shrimp and gestured for Bucky to do the same.</p><p>Bucky reached out with his chopsticks and picked up a piece. Bringing it to his lips, he took the morsel of food into his mouth and bit into it. He could tell right away that the chefs hadn’t used anything to season the shrimp, but allowed the natural flavor to shine.</p><p>He hummed.</p><p>“See! I told you that you’d like it,” Natalia said with a grin after she swallowed her own bite.</p><p>“We’ll see how the rest goes,” Bucky told her as he reached for a piece of sake.</p><p>Clint watched the two continue to banter back and forth as Natalia suggested other pieces of sashimi to try along with her favorite nigiri and sushi rolls. He even willingly gave up part of his crunch roll for Bucky to try, although he didn’t hide his smirk at the pained look on Bucky’s face as he ate the spicy tuna roll.</p><p>Natalia leaned over to whisper in Bucky’s ear even though Clint could hear her clearly, “I tell you, he’s crazy for liking all the spicy rolls.”</p><p>“Agreed. I think I’ll stick with the sashimi,” Bucky said.</p><p>She chuckled.</p><p>“I know, I know, that’s what you said,” Bucky muttered with his own chuckle.</p><p>“You really should listen to me more often.”</p><p>“Shush you. Go back to your own raw fish,” the dark-haired man told her.</p><p>Ignoring Bucky’s comment, Natalia turned to Clint. “So we’ve had dinner, any other plans for the evening?”</p><p>“Tonight? I have no other plans, but tomorrow I thought we could go see one of the temples you’ve been wanting to see,” Clint replied.</p><p>“This whole trip doesn’t have to be about me and what I want,” Natalia told him. “It should be for all of us. To recharge and reconnect. Those were your words on the Quinjet after all.”</p><p>Clint chuckled. “I know, but Bucky and I weren’t the ones that were in a coma for six months.”</p><p>Natalia waved her hand. “That’s beside the point. I know this is a stupid question, but if you could pick anything to do while we’re here, what would you like to do?”</p><p>“Yes, it’s a stupid question,” Clint said with a wink, “but as you know, I would love to learn from a kyūdōka.”</p><p>“Of course you want to learn from a master Japanese archer,” Bucky teased.</p><p>“Would you expect anything less from me?”</p><p>“Not at all,” Bucky laughed.</p><p>“There you go.”</p><p>Natalia turned her attention to the other man at the table. “What about you, Bucky? What would you like to do while we’re here?”</p><p>“Honestly?”</p><p>“Of course,” Natalia replied with a smile.</p><p>“I really do just want to relax and spend time with both of you, so I really don’t care what we do,” Bucky said. “It doesn’t hurt that Kyoto is such a beautiful city.”</p><p>Natalia looked at him curiously. “Are you sure? There’s really nothing you want to go see?”</p><p>Bucky stopped himself from answering right away and took a few moments to really think about what he wanted to do. When he was much younger and long before HYDRA got their hands on him, he would have liked to go out and enjoy the nightlife, but now? He really did just want to spend time with the two people he loved. There were many ways they could do that, but there was one thing he enjoyed from an early age, that never left him, even while he was under HYDRA’s control.</p><p>Shaking himself from his thoughts, Bucky looked back up at Natalia. “Well, I think it would be nice to find somewhere where we could watch the sunset. Just the three of us.”</p><p>“The sunset?” Clint asked, surprise evident in his voice.</p><p>“I think that’s something we can do,” Natalia said with a smile.</p><p>Clint nodded. “Sunsets it is.”</p><p>Picking up his glass, he saluted the other two. “Thank you.”</p><p>Clinking her glass against Bucky’s, Natalia asked, “How do the two of you feel about a massage?”</p><p>Bucky and Clint shared a  look.</p>
<hr/><p>Clint stopped in his tracks and stared at the man in front of them in shock. “How?” He turned to look from Natalia to Bucky. When Bucky shook his head before nodding it in their lover’s direction, he turned his attention back to Natalia.</p><p>“It was all her idea,” Bucky told him.</p><p>“You did help,” Natalia replied. “It wasn’t all me.”</p><p>Pulling Natalia into his arms, Clint hugged her to him. “How did you get a session so quickly?”</p><p>Wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered, “A woman never reveals her secrets. You should know that by now.”</p><p>“Brat,” Clint teased. He pulled back and pecked her on her lips before stepping away completely. “Thank you.”</p><p>Stepping to the side, Clint looked up at the taller man. He wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Both of you.”</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Natalia murmured.</p><p>“Go on, get out of here,” Bucky said with a laugh and a gentle shove. “Mushy man.”</p><p>“Only for the two of you,” Clint replied. He grabbed both their hands. “Come on, let’s go.”</p><p>Both shook their head, but it was Natalia who replied, “No, this is for you. Bucky and I are just going to watch.”</p><p>“Plus, it’s not like Natalia would be resting like the doctors want, if she was learning Kyūdō,” Bucky added with a raised brow.</p><p>Clint looked at Natalia. “True.”</p><p>“Go on,” Natalia told him with a gentle shove. “Your kyūdōka is waiting.”</p><p>The two of them watched as Clint turned and made his way over to the man at the entrance of the dōjō. The two men bowed to each other before the other man started speaking. After a few moments, he led Clint inside.</p><p>“Let’s go,” Natalia said as she grasped Bucky’s hand in hers.</p><p>Bucky followed her to the entrance where a young man met them and led them inside the dōjō. The inside was spacious with the far wall open to the outdoors, and they could see a few people practicing their art and a couple others working with a teacher. The young man led them to an area for seating.</p><p>“Please have a seat. Your friend will be out soon.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Natalia said as the two of them sat down to watch what was going on around them.</p><p>Bucky nodded at the other man, and once they were alone, he leaned over and asked, “How did you find this place?”</p><p>She started to respond, but Bucky added, “And don’t say that a woman never reveals her secrets.”</p><p>Natalia chuckled. “Fine. I know the owner of the dōjō through a friend of mine.”</p><p>“You called in a debt, didn’t you?”</p><p>“Maybe,” Natalia hedged.</p><p>He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to Clint.” He kissed her cheek. “He’ll love you for this for a long time.”</p><p>“It wasn’t my intent, but I know.” Natalia smiled. “He’s been wanting to learn kyūdō ever since I met him, but he’s never had a chance to do so. What better time than now, when we’re in Japan?”</p><p>“Very true,” Bucky replied.</p><p>The sight of Clint walking out from a door to their left had both of them falling silent. He was following his kyūdōka and was dressed in traditional clothing and carried a longbow in his hand. He glanced around the space, and as his eyes found Bucky and Natalia’s, he smiled at them.</p><p>Bucky nodded his head and could see Natalia mouthing something to Clint out of the corner of his eye. Once Clint had returned his attention to the man he would be learning from, Bucky asked, “What’d you say?”</p><p>“Not that he’ll need it, but I told him good luck,” Natalia replied.</p><p>He squeezed her closer, and the two watched as the kyūdōka started working with Clint.</p><p>Archery was never something that Bucky ever considered learning as he always felt more comfortable with a gun or knife. Plus now with his arm, he worried he would end up breaking the bow or arrows instead of actually getting them to work.</p><p>But with Clint, his movements in the middle of a battle were so fluid, and he could see and calculate things so quickly that there were times that Bucky was left in awe of the other man’s abilities. Even now, while working with a master in the art of Japanese archery, Clint made it look so easy. He was learning something new, and yet he looked like he had been using the new bow for years.</p><p>Natalia’s voice startled Bucky out of his thoughts, “It’s so beautiful watching him work, isn’t it?”</p><p>Bucky nodded. “Yeah, it is.”</p><p>“Almost makes me want to try my hand at archery again, but I was so bad at it the first time Clint tried to teach me that I still don’t want to try.”</p><p>“Hey, at least you don’t feel like you’re going to break everything,” Bucky told her with a chuckle.</p><p>Natalia reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I don’t think you’d break anything. Once you received a new arm from Shuri, you have much better control over it.”</p><p>“I know, it’s just an old habit that’s hard to break,” Bucky replied.</p><p>“Isn’t everything?”</p><p>Bucky laughed and nodded his head in agreement.</p><p>“Isn’t everything what?” Clint’s voice said as he joined them.</p><p>They both looked up to find him dressed in his regular clothes and a massive smile on his face.</p><p>“Hard to break,” Natalia replied. “Did you have fun?”</p><p>“That’s very true. And to answer your question,” Clint’s eyes lit up, “it was amazing. Thank you both so much for doing this.”</p><p>He reached for both of their hands to help them to their feet.</p><p>“I had nothing to do with it,” Bucky said as he removed his arm from around Natalia’s shoulders and stood up. “It was all Natalia.”</p><p>“You still cared enough to come with me though,” Clint replied. “Let’s head out, and I’ll tell you both all about it.”</p><p>Natalia wrapped an arm around Clint’s waist to walk next to him. “We can’t wait.”</p><p>Bucky was a half step behind them, keeping an eye on his lover’s backs. Another habit he never could break himself of, and if he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Calm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bucky had been very skeptical of going with Natalia and Clint to get a massage, and he could tell that Clint felt the same. But that had been an hour ago. Now, he felt nothing but peace and calm.</p><p>The woman who had just finished with his massage had been very understanding of his trepidation in the beginning, but she assured him and explained everything she was doing. When she first started working on his left arm and shoulder, he had nearly jumped out of his skin as it was extremely sensitive. Her gentle fingers soon had the muscles relaxing, and for the first time in over a decade, Bucky felt the frayed nerve endings relax. He could still feel some pain, but it was much more bearable compared to before.</p><p>After cataloging the changes he felt, Bucky tuned back into the room around him. He heard the soft slide of the door before silence descended around them. Quiet breathing to his left let him know that both Clint and Natalia were still with him.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Bucky let it out through his nose and allowed his mind to relax.</p><p>A gentle shake of his right shoulder had him awake and sitting up. “What is it?”</p><p>Natalia’s beautiful smile appeared before him as she stepped into his line of sight. “We’re almost out of time.”</p><p>Looking around, he saw Clint getting dressed next to his own table. “How long was I out?”</p><p>“Only a few minutes,” she answered. Cupping his cheek, she asked, “How do you feel?”</p><p>“Free,” Bucky said without hesitation. “Is that weird?”</p><p>Natalia raised an eyebrow. “With everything you’ve been through over the years? Not at all.”</p><p>“The pain.” He reached up and touched his right hand to his left shoulder. “It’s gone. Well, almost, but it’s a much more tolerable level now.”</p><p>Her smile brightened even more. “That’s amazing news.”</p><p>“Do you want to put this on or do you want to wait a while?”</p><p>Bucky looked up and saw Clint standing above them, holding his metal arm. He weighed his options before saying, “If we were home, yes, but I would feel more comfortable with it on for now.”</p><p>“Understandable.” Clint nodded. “Do you want help with this?”</p><p>Usually, Bucky would handle attaching his arm, but he was still feeling a little out of it. He nodded. “Yeah. Please.”</p><p>“I’ll go out and finish with the receptionist upfront,” Natalia told them. She pressed a chaste kiss to Bucky’s lips before standing up and kissing Clint. Seconds later, she was leaving the room.</p><p>“Are you really okay?” Clint asked once the two men were alone. He had knelt next to Bucky, and he was helping him with his arm.</p><p>Once his arm was in place, he rolled his shoulder and nodded his head. “Yes. For the first time in a very long time, I feel like myself again. Like I did before I left for the war.”</p><p>Clint nodded his head. “I just wanted to make sure because you looked really out of it earlier.”</p><p>Shifting from underneath the sheet, Bucky reached for his clothes. “I think it was no longer feeling all of the pain and stress on my body after so long.”</p><p>“I can see that.” </p><p>“What’s the plan for the rest of today?”</p><p>Clint stood up and waited for Bucky to finish dressing. “I had planned to go to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, but I think after this, we should probably take it easy. Natalia had planned to take us to the sunset lookout spot tomorrow for our last night, but maybe we can head there tonight.”</p><p>“I’d like that,” Bucky said. “She said where she wanted to go was a beach, so maybe we can pick up something to eat and enjoy a late dinner as the sun sets.”</p><p>“That would be perfect,” Clint agreed. “We can get up early tomorrow to go see the Fushimi Inari Shrine.”</p><p>Bucky nodded as he slid on his socks. “Sounds good to me. Shall we find Natalia and tell her of the change in plans?”</p><p>“Yes, but first, come here.” Clint held his hand out to Bucky, who grabbed it and allowed the other man to help him to stand.</p><p>Once he was steady on his feet, Bucky grinned down at Clint. He squeezed the other man’s hand. “Thank you.”</p><p>“You know I’m here for you, Bucky,” Clint said as he stepped closer. “And I want to say thank you for humoring me when I just whisked the three of us off to Japan.”</p><p>“Someone has to humor you,” Bucky teased. “But I’m glad you did because we all needed this. I know things will still be crazy when we get back home, but after this trip, we’ll be able to deal with them better.”</p><p>“We’ll deal with them together,” Clint said.</p><p>Bucky nodded. “Exactly.” He reached out with his free hand and slid it behind Clint’s neck. “Thank you,” he whispered again as he lowered his lips to the other man’s.</p><p>Clint returned his kiss for a few moments before they slowly separated. He placed his head against Bucky’s breastbone to take a few breaths before he stepped back completely. Glancing up at his lover, he finally released Bucky’s hand as he grinned. “Let’s go find her and find that sunset.”</p><p>The two men walked over to the entrance of the room, and once they were outside, they slipped on their shoes and made their way to the front desk.</p><p>Natalia had just turned away from the receptionist as they appeared. She grinned. “Are you ready to go?”</p><p>“Yes, but we wanted to run something by you,” Clint explained as they left the building and stepped out into the early afternoon sun.</p><hr/><p>Finding a place to park, Natalia pulled in and turned off the car. “We should be able to get something to eat from any of the nearby restaurants for dinner. Does anything look good to either of you?”</p><p>“I smell burgers,” Bucky said as he took a deep breath.</p><p>Clint laughed, “I think that’s because there’s a burger restaurant right behind you.”</p><p>Turning around, Bucky and Natalia saw that there was indeed a brown, two-story building with a large sign on the side, saying, ‘Hi! CRAFT BURGERS &amp; SEA’.</p><p>“Ask, and you shall receive,” Bucky chuckled.</p><p>“Let’s go,” Natalia said. “A burger sounds delicious.”</p><p>The trio made their way inside and soon found themselves seated on the upper-level deck with a spectacular view of Chichibugahama Beach and the Seto Inland Sea. They enjoyed their dinner before walking along the beach and around the tidepools, taking in the sights around them.</p><p>Once they found a patch of sand away from many of the other tourists, they sat down and just took in their surroundings.</p><p>Clint reached for Natalia’s hand and pulled it to his lips. “You could not have found a better place to watch the sun set,” he whispered. “Seeing the reflections on the tidepools make it even more spectacular.”</p><p>Bucky kissed her cheek. “I have to agree with Clint, you outdid yourself with this idea.”</p><p>“I’m so glad you’re both enjoying this,” Natalia said. Before she could say anything else, a deep yawn had her pausing. “I saw a picture of it on our third day in Kyoto and knew that we had to go. It was a drive, but it was worth it.”</p><p>“It really was,” Bucky agreed.</p><p>“I know I said we would get up early to go to Fushimi Inari, but what if we went there tomorrow evening instead? It would allow us to take our time to return to Kyoto and get some actual sleep before getting up and ready for the day?”</p><p>“Sounds perfect,” Natalia whispered. She yawned again.</p><p>“I’m driving back to Kyoto,” Clint told her.</p><p>Natalia didn’t argue as she handed over the keys to their rental car.</p><p>“We could always see if there’s somewhere to stay here and just get up early in the morning and head back,” Bucky suggested.</p><p>“I did pack a small bag with our toiletries and a change of clothes for all of us,” Natalia pointed out. “It’s in the trunk.”</p><p>“That’s settled then,” Clint said. “Once the sun has set, we’ll see if there’s a guesthouse nearby that has availability.”</p><p>Their decision to stay the night in Mitoyo made, the trio settled in to watch the last rays of the setting sun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The restaurant they visit in Mitoyo is called BAKE STUDIO OKAZAKI.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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